REGION: Supervisors to hold hearing on redistricting proposals

The public has a chance Tuesday morning to speak out on how the
county's five supervisorial districts should be reshaped.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is set to hold a 9
a.m. public hearing on county redistricting at the County
Administration Center, Room 310, 1600 Pacific Highway, in downtown
San Diego.

County redistricting is a once-a-decade process that can change
which supervisor represents cities and towns across the county and
can alter whom residents can vote for during elections.

Governments across the nation are required to use census data
during redistricting, as they attempt to rebalance populations
across their political districts.

At the county level in California, supervisors have the final
say.

A citizen advisory panel recommended three ways the board could
reshape its political boundaries. The panel consisted of five
people, all picked by the supervisors.

North County Supervisors Pam Slater-Price and Bill Horn must
reduce the size of their territories. So must South County
Supervisor Greg Cox. The two other county districts must expand to
even out their populations.

Under two of the proposals, East County Supervisor Dianne
Jacob's district would push west into Rancho Bernardo, hugging I-15
south to Scripps Ranch. Jacob already represents the Ramona and
Poway areas.

Under all maps, Slater-Price would lose La Jolla, a territoryprized for its deep pockets and strong civic participation, toSupervisor Ron Roberts
.

Horn's district, which stretches from Oceanside to Borrego
Springs, would remain largely unchanged under the proposed
maps.

Supervisors are not obligated to follow the panel's or public's
advice. They ignored it 10 years ago, during the county's last
redistricting.

During that process, Slater-Price lost Rancho Santa Fe, another
highly coveted community. Horn initiated the change, leaving
Slater-Price with Escondido while he picked up much of Carlsbad and
all of Rancho Santa Fe.

The maps proposed this year are derived from panelists
hand-picked by Horn and Jacob. All maps proposed by Slater-Price's
delegate were rejected by the advisory panel.

Critics have said the county's redistricting process is fixed by
the supervisors to ensure politically safe districts for the
all-white, all-Republican board. The five leaders have served
together since the mid-1990s, a period during which the percentage
of minorities and registered Democrats countywide has grown
substantially.

County leaders have said state law would have to change before
the supervisors could give up their authority to realign their
districts. An independent panel now decides on redistricting for
the state's political boundaries.

Outside of Slater-Price, there's little support among
supervisors for changing that authority, Slater-Price's spokesman
said earlier this month.

Learn more about county redistricting at
www.sdcounty.ca.gov/redistricting .